By: John Kerr
Stories of Scotch mist abound. They are so plentiful that one would be led to believe that Scotland is blanketed in a perpetual layer of mist! I can assure you that many a time we have had a clear sunny day!
As a teen, I used to be a Venture Scout and as a group we would go on hikes in the hills and mountains north of Loch Lomond. They were great day trips that I have never forgotten. If you have read some of my previous Challenge Centrals, you know that I love to walk, and hiking was just another walk along rough paths with beautiful scenery on all sides.
On one particular outing, our leader Jack led us on a stiff trek. He was born to hike! After a while he gave us instructions and began to outpace us. I found myself in the middle group and was enjoying the hike when slowly the mist began to descend, and as we ascended it began to get thicker. It truly was a Scotch mist. The path was clearly marked giving us no difficulty following where Jack had gone but as time passed the mist got thicker and the exhilaration of being in the mountains waned considerably.
Soon the path became more rocky and the grassy knolls became rocky outcrops. My group continued around a rock when we heard a familiar voice! Jack, sitting in the shelter of a craggy outcrop comfortably eating his lunch and chiding us for taking so long! Eventually the last group caught up with us and we all enjoyed our lunch in the shelter of those ancient rocks.
When retelling stories from adventures long past, one can forget the seriousness that the potential circumstances could have brought. Jack was an experienced hill climber but most of us weren’t. Last year a Canadian woman was killed in Italy while climbing surprised by a sudden snowstorm. The Scottish hills claim dozens of lives because hikers are ill-prepared for the often quickly changing conditions. Often someone who is stranded by the mist is found on or near a path lying peacefully but deceased because they have succumbed to hypothermia.
When we had finished our lunch, we continued our trek, but Jack stayed a bit closer to us, as he should have earlier (a lesson learned?). As we left the comfort of the rocks, we realized that we were at the top of a mountain and on the other side there was no mist but a clear sunny view that covered miles of the countryside. It was breathtaking. We had a renewed spring in our steps as we navigated back to our rendezvous point and finished our day tired but exhilarated from the experience.
There are a number of applications to my story for the Christian life. Too often we set out unprepared for what can happen, perhaps because we don’t know or perhaps out of carelessness. Preparation is key when facing nature, whether on a short hike or something more advanced. Spiritually we need to be prepared because everywhere there are dangers. Hypothermia is one of the biggest killers in the outdoors.
Knowing how to read your terrain is crucial and being able to spot potential hazards can be lifesaving. Having the right equipment, even to the point of being over prepared is important. Even having some basic survival items can make a difference. A beautiful day’s outing can easily turn to tragedy very quickly.
When I think of that day in the mountains of my homeland the great Fanny Crosby hymn comes to my mind:
A wonderful Saviour is Jesus my Lord
A wonderful Saviour to me
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
Where rivers of pleasure I see.
